Muck up day
by Kelleybel
Summary: [revised] Set 4 years after RTT. MORE Linda-Anthony fluff - ahhh, it never ends! Rated for mild language


**Hiya! Okay, for anybody who doesn't know, muck up day is (in Australia and maybe other countries as well) the day after your final day of Year 12 (last year of school). Basically, you can muck up (hence the name): cover the school in toilet paper, throw eggs, etc. The very beginning of this fic israther reminiscent of my own muck up day -- we weren't allowed to use eggs either . . . grumbles . . . Uh . . . yeah . . . basically this is more Linda-Anthony fluff. PLEASE R&R!!**

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**Disclaimer: Dude, if I owned _Round The Twist_, Linda & Anthony would've gotten together AGES ago!**

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Pete could hardly contain his excitement. It was finally the day he and Linda had been waiting so many years for: muck up day!

Linda joined him, a huge grin spread across her face. She had their ammo: eggs, and plenty of them.

The twins reached the school gate and exchanged an excited grin; this was going to be the best day at school ever!

* * *

Pete and Linda's jaws dropped. "What do you mean, we're not allowed to use eggs?"

Mr Snapper regarded them sternly. "I'm sorry, but it's far too hazardous to be throwing eggs at your peers, particularly the younger ones."

"But sir . . . !"

"No buts!" he said firmly. "That is final!" He turned and walked off, leaving Pete and Linda staring at each other, dumbfounded.

Fiona and Anthony joined them, arms also laden with eggs, looking just as disappointed as the Twists.

"What a waste of eggs," Anthony said glumly.

"This sucks!" Pete said bluntly.

Fiona nodded. "Totally. What're we supossed to do with these?" She jerked her head at the eggs she held.

Linda shrugged. "We could always chuck 'em at cars."

"Linda . . . !" Anthony was a little taken aback by her sudden tenacity.

She frowned. "Kidding, just kidding. Don't lose your head."

Pete groaned suddenly. "Here comes trouble."

Linda, Anthony and Fiona followed his gaze. Gribbs sidled up to them, flanked by Tiger and Rabbit like always. The three of them were holding dozens upon dozens of paint-filled water bombs.

"Paint bombs?" Pete asked uncertainly.

"Yeah," Gribbs said. "We heard about Snapper outlawing eggs, so we're gonna go bomb his office."

Fiona's jaw dropped. "What?"

"But you can't!" Anthony protested.

Gribbs smirked. "Why not? C'mon, what's he gonna do, give us detention? We don't _go_ to school anymore, remember?"

"Even so, you shouldn't go bombing the office," Linda said. "You know what Snapper's like. Even if he can't give out detentions, he'll still find some way of punishing you."

Gribbs waved his hand at her dismissively. "Spare me your lectures, ladies." He went to enter Snapper's office, but Linda blocked his path. "What do you

think you're doing?" he demanded.

"Stopping you from totally trashing Snapper's office," Linda replied coolly.

Gribbs glared at her and moved quickly, trying to evade her. Impulsively, Linda pushed him back . . . and her jaw dropped.

Gribbs fell onto his front, the paint bombs in his arms exploding all over him. He slowly stood up, fuming at Linda, and grabbed a paint bomb from Tiger. "You are _so_ dead, bitch!"

Linda's eyes widened in horror as Gribbs pulled back the hand that held the bomb and hurled it towards her.

Linda threw her hands in front of her face in a futile attempt to shield herself from the bomb – dropping most of her eggs in the process – but her hair was splattered with bright yellow paint.

Everyone watched with bated breath, wondering what Linda would do. Slowly, a sly grin spread across her face. She grabbed an egg and hurled it at Gribbs. He tried to duck, but Linda's aim was true – the egg nailed him right in the forehead.

Raging now, Gribbs flung two paint bombs at her. She managed to dodge, but Pete wasn't so lucky, the bombs exploding in his face.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then a huge fight ensued. Linda, Pete, Fiona, Anthony, Gribbs, Tiger and Rabbit ran wild, laughing and yelling, throwing and dodging, being pelted by egg yolk and paint in every colour of the rainbow.

None of them noticed Snapper striding towards them. He stopped, completely dumbfounded, when he saw the chaos before him.

Then he was hit by a stray paint bomb.

They all stopped, having realised what had happened. Complete and utter silence echoed all around. No one dared even breathe, let alone move.

Slowly, Snapper's face was turning as red as the paint smeared across his otherwise crisp white shirt. That was a _very_ bad sign.

"SCATTER!" Gribbs yelled suddenly, and they did, all dashing off in various directions.

Gribbs, Tiger and Rabbit took off towards the huge dumpster; Pete and Fiona ran across the playground; Linda hauled Anthony down the hallway and into a small, cramped storeroom.

They slammed the door behind them and promptly burst out laughing; neither of them could remember when they last had such fun.

Linda suddenly stopped laughing and looked at Anthony. "Hey . . . isn't this the dodgy storeroom where the door locks from the outside?"

Anthony's eyes widened and he ran to the door. He pulled and shoved, rattled the handle. Nothing. The door was locked. He kicked the door in frustration, then leaned against it, sighing heavily. "We're trapped . . . "

Linda shrugged. "Don't worry, someone'll find us eventually. Besides, we're safe from The Snapper's wrath in here." Then she grinned. "I can't believe the door's locked. What is this, some stupid clichéd teen movie?" That brought out a small laugh from Anthony; Linda always did know how to make him feel better.

Linda smelled her paint-spattered hair and pulled a face. "Ugh. I smell like a paint shop!"

Anthony sat down on the ground. "It was kind of exciting, though."

Linda sat down beside him. "I didn't think you were the naughty type, Anthony," she teased gently.

"Me neither . . . uh, I mean, about you . . . you being naughty . . . "

Linda shook her head. "Nah . . . I was just being spiteful. The chance to let Gribbs have it was too good to be true."

Anthony laughed. "Yeah, you got him good."

Linda grinned, despite herself. "But then he got me!" She looked down at herself, her clothes splattered with paint in all the colours of the rainbow. "Bloody Gribbs. I must look terrible."

Anthony looked at her. "You look like you always do . . . " The word he really wanted to say was right on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. Instead, he settled for, "You look so . . . organised."

Linda shook her head again. "I'm not _that_ organised. I just . . . like to set myself goals."

Anthony said softly, "Nobody else around here can get things done like you can."

Linda smiled. "Sometimes the quiet people really are the doers."

For a while, they sat in silence. Linda turned to Anthony. "You're a quiet one too," she said.

Anthony looked a little sheepish. "That's just 'cause I never have anything to say."

"Yes you do," Linda said earnestly. "You've _always_ got something important to say."

Anthony blushed slightly at her praise, then looked around at the storeroom that held them prisoner. "Maybe we'll be found in a hundred years, just our bones mingled," he joked.

Linda grinned. "Yeah, we'll be the ghosts that haunt the school."

More silence ensued.

Linda swallowed. "When you said that I was organised . . . you didn't mean that I was unfriendly, did you?"

Anthony was shocked she would even consider that. "No, of course not!"

Linda stared at the ground. "It's just . . . I've heard Pete say that . . . that I'm stuck up and boring . . . and that's why the other kids don't like me much . . . "

Anthony tried to pull himself together in an attempt to console her. "I . . . I like you . . . "

Linda gave him the beautiful smile that he loved so much – the smile that always turned his insides to jelly. "I like you, too."

Now Anthony looked at the ground. "Sometimes . . . you seem really busy and I get unsure about bothering you."

"That's just when I'm under pressure . . . " She smiled. "Believe me, you're _not_ a bother."

* * *

Outside, Pete and Fiona trudged towards the storeroom to retrieve a bucket and some mops.

"I don't see why Snapper's making _us_ clean up the school," Pete grumbled. "We weren't even the ones who _started_ the fight!"

"We didn't start it, but we sure were involved in it," Fiona said. "I don't even _know_ who threw the paint bomb at Snapper." She shrugged. "We're just his scapegoats, I guess."

* * *

Anthony looked coyly at Linda, swallowed hard, and before he could stop himself, said, "Um, Linda . . . there's something I want to tell you . . . I . . . " He blushed deeply, his voice suddenly giving out. He nervously cleared his throat and tried again. "I . . . I'm really bad at this . . . but I . . . I . . . "

Seeing how Anthony struggled, Linda reached out and gently squeezed his shoulder. She said softly, "I know, Ant . . . me too."

Anthony's eyes widened in surprise. "You . . . sorry?" He now wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly.

Linda smiled. "I know how you feel about me . . . and I feel the same way about you."

An immense relief flooded over Anthony and for the first time in so many years, he finally had the courage to whisper, "Linda . . . I love you."

"I love you too, Anthony." Linda smiled and leaned toward Anthony, but suddenly he was unable move for fear he would wake up and find it had all been a dream. But when he felt Linda's hand gently caressing his cheek, he knew it was real.

Anthony closed his eyes as Linda gently lifted his chin, and they kissed.

They didn't even notice when the storeroom door was opened by a very surprised Pete.

He and Fiona looked at each other, mouths hanging open, then did the most appropriate thing that came to mind: they clapped.

Linda and Anthony looked up to see Pete and Fiona grinning madly and applauding them. Anthony blushed, but began to feel better when Linda reached over and held his hand. She always knew how to make him feel better.

Pete grinned at them. "It was about time, you two!"

Linda smiled and caressed Anthony's cheek once again. "Yes, it was."


End file.
